Battle of Umoja
The Battle of Umoja is the backdrop for the events in the Rise of Unity fanfic serial. Taking place six years after the start of the original StarCraft and four after the completion of Brood War, it is set at roughly the same time as StarCraft: Ghost. With only the first part of the serial complete, the event is still ongoing. Prelude The planet of Umoja had avoided the ravages of the entire war, a fact that few Terran planets could claim. Now a part of the Terran Dominion, the planet and its standing force, called the Umojan Protectorate, no longer enjoyed the autonomy permitted by the former Confederacy. Prior to the events of Rise of Unity, discontent and dissent had been brewing which was serious enough that Emperor Arcturus Mengsk considered it a threat to his power, much as Mengsk's own Korhal had been to the former Confederacy. Immediately before the events of the serial, the Zerg were detected for the first time on Umojan soil. The Protectorate, unable to combat the Swarm alone, summoned the forces of the Dominion for help. As they developed, the Zerg forces were found to be clearly massing for an assault on the Umojan capital, to the unexplained exclusion of all other targets. Major-General Eric Cranston, the commander of the Dominion division sent to combat the assault, chose a ridge in a wide valley south of the capital as a defensive position. Unrivalled in strategic potential by any other position along the Zerg brood's path, it was fortified by five bases, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon, strung out across the ridge (a sixth base, Omega, was in the Umojan capital itself). A massive defensive network of bunkers, missile turrets, and even trenches in the cliff face itself was rushed into completion only hours before the assault was to begin. Clash in space The battle was actually initiated by the combined Terran forces. In order to cut off Zerg reinforcements, the Dominion and Umojan fleets engaged a massive reserve force that was moving to take up position in high orbit. As planned, this caused the planetside battle to be largely devoid of aerial combatants as both Zerg and Terran air units were diverted to the fight above. Ground assault On the ground, the Zerg minions advanced to engage the Dominion forces on the cliff. The Terran forces held their fire until the Zerg were well within range, and then let loose a withering opening barrage. A few cursory squadrons of Wraiths were able to down the Zerg's few remaining fliers (primarily Guardians) before they too were destroyed. The defensive firepower was enough to hold the Zerg at bay, temporarily. However, despite the tenacity of the Terran defense, the Zerg were too numerous and were finally able to reach and scale the cliff. Gamma Base, bisected by a river, was destroyed when the Zerg were able to struggle up the rapids into its midst. Beta Base was overwhelmed by the attack of several advanced Zerg known as Arachnalisks, which were observed to be nearly unstoppable and able to quickly scale the cliff thanks to their immense size. With Delta Base invaded in turn, its commander decided to order a retreat, as a successful and effective defense now seemed more certain with the chance to regroup and adjust. Respite The Zerg were now among the Terran defenders, turning the battle to a desperate melee. With all three remaining bases breached and taking severe damage, their forces began a retreat back to the city. As the Zerg attempted to follow, they were quickly stymied; Aidan Taylor, the regimental commander of Delta Base, had previously ordered the construction of a vast Spider Mine field behind the Terran defenses. With the Zerg stalled, and few Overlords on the scene, the troops were able to regroup at the city to plan a response. But even as the division licked its wounds and counted its dead, Colonel Taylor, a Ghost telepath, could sense a strange emanation from a location within the city. Previously, he had dismissed the phenomenon as an apparent headache; he could ignore it no longer, and taking a few Marines with him, tracked the signal to an abandoned warehouse deep in the deserted city center. There, the source was found to be an active Psi Emitter. Category:Rise of Unity